Courts / Westmeath / Report
Jury takes just 29 minutes to find man not guilty of murdering 'soft-hearted' father by reason of insanity
Summary
A man who stabbed his 'friendly and soft-hearted' father 18 times during a psychotic episode has been found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. Ross O'Rourke, who had a previous address in Tullow, Carlow, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murdering his father, Stefan Nivelle Posschier, in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath in 2022. The jury returned a unanimous verdict in just 29 minutes, with the judge describing the trial as 'extremely difficult, especially for those who have lost a loved one.' Psychiatrists agreed that O'Rourke was suffering from a schizophrenic mental disorder at the time of the killing and met the criteria for the special verdict under the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2006. The trial heard that O'Rourke developed a delusion that his father was mixed up with criminals and the IRA and that he posed a threat to his life. He stabbed his father to death and then drove to a hospital, where he told his grandmother he had killed her son.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jury takes just 29 minutes to find man not guilty of murdering 'soft-hearted' father by reason of insanity. Procedural stage: finding. Findings: Not guilty by reason of insanity
When:
- October 24 Hearing Or Sentence
- October 2022 Incident
- October 25, 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2025-12-15 Publication
Why: While Dr Kearns felt Mr O'Rourke knew the nature and quality of his actions, he concluded that he did not understand that it was wrong because of this sincere belief. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Not guilty by reason of insanity
Outcome: Not guilty by reason of insanity
Places mentioned
- Central Criminal Court
- Central Mental Hospital
Topics
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